Options / becoming a manager

[lucgeo]

Don't give them your answer yet, there may be other supporters on this site who have gone on options at this time of year, and give you an insight into what their experiences were!
I can only tell you the constant experiences I witnessed of people going on options in my store! But to be honest, if they've got you covering every morning for other people now, would seem a similar store management culture to mine!

[5fdp]

Might be just them thinking of Christmas.  I would hold off. If they think you can do the job they will wait till after Christmas. Tell them you have already made commitments over the festive period. If only they had come to you a few months ago.

[Andi_Lancs]

I did the apprenticeship about 10 years ago to join options and passed but didn't take it any further because I started my business so could manage part time work instead of progressing. It's been since I had to close my business, not sure if they're taking advantage or believe I can do it. Hold off till after Christmas?

[newguy20]

One experienced manager put it like this to me.

If you're a team support wanting to go on options. Why would you give up the hourly rate for an extra (on paper) £3k or something, in return work a fully flexible rota, work all the hours that god sends, no overtime, treated like c**p and being the newbie getting all the rubbish jobs, all whilst not being given half the training needed to do the job? So why not just stay organising the breaks for the aunties on the tills and save yourself the stress, as they no longer invest in staff simply want to exploit!

[Andi_Lancs]

I was offered the opportunity didn't say I wanted to, was just asking opinions before I make any decisions. In a polite way, those "aunties" are the people who have been there years and actually want to work and do a damn good job, not come in wanting to be paid to do nothing like lots of them these days

[Teddybonkers]

Options = Staff exploitation scheme. (Mugs only, need apply)

[Totot]

In a good company, a step up or an option before busy time is a good way for you to show how capable you are and take the ladder of management up.

In a bad company, a step up or an option before busy time is a way to have cheap low manager to be used to covering the role needed.

The question is, do you think tesco or at least your store is a good one or a bad one.

[Redshoes]

There is deputising pay now but I think the real question is the the jobs at the end. I don't know what the rest of the country is like but my store is overmanned by one manager but other in the group are still very top heavy.

[kaled78]

we have no shift leaders,but all our managers are in their late 50's waiting for retirement or redundancy

[Sherwoodforest]

There probably won't be any redundancy for managers again, just natural wastage.

[Preacherpauly]

I had an idea just needed the nudge being stuck, I was offered didn't say interested. Everyone at ours on options ended up leaving over the years so no-one to ask. Sounds more like voluntary work than paid work?

If you want to progress in the company then do what you have to but like others have said, you will be expected to do everything for nothing.

Seen a few people on options for over a year and they ended up leaving because it became clear they weren't actually going to be signed off anytime soon.

You need a a manager who is actually going to help you, show you all the ropes and put your name forward for  higher roles/placements elsewhere.

[Redshoes]

we have no shift leaders,but all our managers are in their late 50's waiting for retirement or redundancy

At 50 is 16 years until retirement. It's a long, long time to coast. We have been told often enough that the chances of redundancy are very slim. My guess is that if redundancy will be removal of certain roles, as they did with compliance manager. It may be modified for the different sizes of stores but I think unlikely to be open to all. So you could have a 68 year old grocery manager hanging on and waiting on redundancy but it's offered to the 25 years old fresh manager. I use grocery and fresh as example as I think they are the least likely to be be ever offered redundancy, they will probably get a change to the role but it will be extra areas to look after.
I know of more than one manager over retirement age that is hanging on and waiting for redundancy. I get that they don't want to miss out but why work years past retirement age on the slim chance they could retire with a huge lump sum. It's not that they can't afford to retire, it's the thought of missing out on that lump sum.

[Bobmay]

There probably won't be any redundancy for managers again, just natural wastage.

There will be redundancy for them and for many staff they will also be removing premium for mutliple places such as nights bank holiday sundays etc.

[londoner83]

I cant see many stores getting to their required management headcount without another redundancy programme unless they either:-
1) Start performance managing managers out of roles in a serious way.
2) Force managers to move stores to fill vacancies.
3) Make job so unbearable that numbers leaving dramatically increase.

Once colleagues do their own training/admin and the scheduler decides your hours/work - there will be even less need for the current headcount of management.

[Bobmay]

I cant see many stores getting to their required management headcount without another redundancy programme unless they either:-
1) Start performance managing managers out of roles in a serious way.
2) Force managers to move stores to fill vacancies.
3) Make job so unbearable that numbers leaving dramatically increase.

Once colleagues do their own training/admin and the scheduler decides your hours/work - there will be even less need for the current headcount of management.

s
Tesco will have to increase their wages a lot and will do again in 2023 when the minimum wage increase again so it makes sense for them they will do redundancy and remove more staff.  I believe they will be removing staff from the manager side so mass lay off of all managers except for store manager.  It is cheaper for them to have 1 store manager and multiple shift leaders.   In the store I work in there are no staff for night only around 4 to 5 per night and now we are losing extra 2 staff which will mean per night we will have 3 to 4 staff at most.  Which is even worse if we have people going on holiday.  I believe that it will be store by store basis.

[NightAndDay]

I cant see many stores getting to their required management headcount without another redundancy programme unless they either:-
1) Start performance managing managers out of roles in a serious way.
2) Force managers to move stores to fill vacancies.
3) Make job so unbearable that numbers leaving dramatically increase.

Once colleagues do their own training/admin and the scheduler decides your hours/work - there will be even less need for the current headcount of management.

Number 3 is a thing, Store Managers get a bonus for managing to get people out of affected roles, they're currently doing it on my friend in Superstore who works in large format by giving him additional responsibility of produce, fresh, counters and bakery while not bumping up his pay from £24k a year. He's thinking about stepping back down to Shift Leader for more money.

[Bobmay]

I cant see many stores getting to their required management headcount without another redundancy programme unless they either:-
1) Start performance managing managers out of roles in a serious way.
2) Force managers to move stores to fill vacancies.
3) Make job so unbearable that numbers leaving dramatically increase.

Once colleagues do their own training/admin and the scheduler decides your hours/work - there will be even less need for the current headcount of management.

Number 3 is a thing, Store Managers get a bonus for managing to get people out of affected roles, they're currently doing it on my friend in Superstore who works in large format by giving him additional responsibility of produce, fresh, counters and bakery while not bumping up his pay from £24k a year. He's thinking about stepping back down to Shift Leader for more money.

I don't know anyone who would be happy being an a shift leader and breaking their back working harder for manager for only 1 pound extra an hour.

[Redshoes]

I cant see many stores getting to their required management headcount without another redundancy programme unless they either:-
1) Start performance managing managers out of roles in a serious way.
2) Force managers to move stores to fill vacancies.
3) Make job so unbearable that numbers leaving dramatically increase.

Once colleagues do their own training/admin and the scheduler decides your hours/work - there will be even less need for the current headcount of management.

Number 3 is a thing, Store Managers get a bonus for managing to get people out of affected roles, they're currently doing it on my friend in Superstore who works in large format by giving him additional responsibility of produce, fresh, counters and bakery while not bumping up his pay from £24k a year. He's thinking about stepping back down to Shift Leader for more money.

Everybody's workload has got bigger. As people do leave it's harder and harder on the store to manage this. Could it just not be your friend is just having to cope with the rolling changes. Every manager in my store is feeling it. We talk openly between us and we chat to the store manager about it. We wonder where it will end. We have a store manager with very high standards and we struggle to present the store to his liking. He is not a bad store manager, he understands and is supportive but sometimes asks the impossible. He knows this and will say so but still asks. He can however cope with the open and honest conversation about what he is asking. We also cope by helping each other. We chat and support by physically helping and by offering moral support. Things are just not what they used to be. I saw times like this about 28 years ago and a few times since.

[Redshoes]

Superstore structure is for us;
Team Manager - dairy, meat & poultry, produce and bakery
Team manager - checkouts, CSD, pfs, trolleys and off till
Team manager - stock control, wages, cash office, pi
Team manager - grocery, non- food, gm, freezers and warehouse
Pay is according to time in role and last review.

[Spec24]

Is that 1 team manager per department ie the same one for stock control Cashoffice wages and pi or one for each of them

[Sherwoodforest]

1 for all i assume,as it is in my extra,

[NightAndDay]

Whether by corporate design or ulterior motive, the strategy of getting more with less only works as long as comparable structures and compensations are in place at the competitors, currently the competition are downsizing in similar ways (except for Sainsbury's) but they pay significantly more in recognition of the additional responsibilities.

£24k a year to manage 37 staff and what equates to about 6 aisles including the technical challenges of the departments (OOC being a much bigger thing in Fresh than grocery) isn't competitive, especially when a shift leader role pays pretty much the same when premiums are factored in.

The store in question has had difficulties retaining a Fresh TM for many years, If they want him to take additional sections as part of the role then I don't see them being able to recruit adequately for the position any time soon, much less on £24k a year when the competition offers £2-3k higher for a similar role.

[Redshoes]

Is that 1 team manager per department ie the same one for stock control Cashoffice wages and pi or one for each of them

4 managers in total

[Redshoes]

Whether by corporate design or ulterior motive, the strategy of getting more with less only works as long as comparable structures and compensations are in place at the competitors, currently the competition are downsizing in similar ways (except for Sainsbury's) but they pay significantly more in recognition of the additional responsibilities.

£24k a year to manage 37 staff and what equates to about 6 aisles including the technical challenges of the departments (OOC being a much bigger thing in Fresh than grocery) isn't competitive, especially when a shift leader role pays pretty much the same when premiums are factored in.

The store in question has had difficulties retaining a Fresh TM for many years, If they want him to take additional sections as part of the role then I don't see them being able to recruit adequately for the position any time soon, much less on £24k a year when the competition offers £2-3k higher for a similar role.

I am down to 37 people now. I used to have over 50. We need to deliver the same with a lot more people. I am on more money than your friend but I have had good reviews and I have been in the role a few years. There used to be a services role but I now do the whole thing so I have pfs, CSD and trolleys on top of the checkout areas. I did have cash office too for a while but that has gone to stock/admin now. I just cover cash office for holidays now. I also used to have team support but as we are not big enough to retain them I now only have off till colleagues.
The job has however got easier in some ways. The fresh manager and I love the extra hours market. So much work off my shoulders. It's much quicker to do and easier to fill shifts.
Managers should be due a pay rise soon, reviews are pending. As a manager yourself you should know this. As someone who has left the company and come back it can't be all bad. No really bad job is worth even a huge pay. I work to live, I don't live to work but I spend far more time in work than I do with my family. I would not do this for any pay if I hated it, life is too short for that. I do have bad day but on the whole there are far more good ones and I like the people I work with.

[NightAndDay]

Tesco's structure and processes for  office roles are different compared to in Store, We have quarterly performance reviews and pay reviews 2 times a year, pay is also not solely dependent on performance in my role due to the comparatively poorly defined salaries in industry (bigger variance competitor to competitor compared to more defined store roles) The problem domains are also not always clearly defined and there is a need for SMEs and advisors in various areas, because of this there's not a direct hierarchy, though I am the head of technology and people do report to me and I do manage people, it isn't in the same way as at store level, there isn't a direct translation really, they're completely different in operation, structure, culture and everything else.